Teen in court after cat and kittens hanged

A 19-year-old schoolgirl who allegedly killed her cat and her five kittens by hanging them from a tree near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, will appear in court today.

On Human Rights Day on Wednesday, the grade 10 pupil allegedly killed the year-old cat and its three-day-old infants.

The girl was arrested before a crowd of curious onlookers after the Tshwane SPCA opened a case at Temba police station.

Shocked Mashemong villagers are still searching for answers as to what led to the gruesome deed.

They said some of the cats were alive but very weak when a neighbour's child reported the hanging. But by the time the SPCA arrived they were all dead.

A still shocked and angry neighbour said she could not understand why the girl had not given the cats to the SPCA instead of killing them.

Another said: "No one knows why she killed them the way she did, but what I know is that they helped us get rid of the rats ."

SPCA inspector Meshack Matlou described what had happened as shocking.

"The poor cats were not even a threat to her."

He said he hoped the court would pass a stiff sentence that would stop others from ill-treating animals.